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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28321674">Patterson's Trifecta</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/arareads/pseuds/valiantnerd'>valiantnerd (arareads)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Julie and The Phantoms (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bisexual Julie Molina, Bisexual Reggie Peters (Julie and The Phantoms), Boys In Love, Canon Compliant, F/M, Falling In Love, Flirty Luke Patterson, Fluff, Idiots in Love, In a way bc its set both before AND after S1, Love Confessions, Luke Patterson is a Slut (affectionate), Luke and Alex are very touchy but they're just bros, Luke and Julie can be read as platonic or romantic, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pansexual Luke Patterson (Julie and The Phantoms), Punk Julie Molina, Punk Luke Patterson, Young Love, but like puppy punk, it's very up to you, its three one shots together basically thats it</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 17:01:11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,558</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28321674</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/arareads/pseuds/valiantnerd</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p><em>Luke Patterson as seen by three of his loves.</em><br/>-<br/>Or, the one where I indulge in three different pairings because that's variety, babey.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alex Mercer &amp; Luke Patterson (Julie and The Phantoms), Julie Molina &amp; Luke Patterson, Julie Molina/Luke Patterson, Luke Patterson/Reggie Peters (Julie and The Phantoms)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>113</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Fire | Reggie</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/0bananasmoothie/gifts">0bananasmoothie</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Lemme give you the rundown:<br/>Three one shots, all narratively distinct (we get it, you're a Lit Major, get over urself /s) and they all revolve around: Luke Patterson, loverboy extraordinaire. </p><p>Check the notes at the beginning of each chapter for any content warnings and/or the matching playlist, bc I'm a Nerd and a Dork.<br/>This one's for my bro, my dearest, my broest if you will: thank you for listening to the many many many vns I sent you and encouraging me with this. I adore you. </p><p>With all that outta' the way,<br/>Let's: go ✨.</p>
    </blockquote><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Many times Reggie was overcome with his adoration for Luke (and the time Luke set the record straight)</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>here you have it, folks.<br/>the first installment of the three piece thingy my brain has been torturing me with for months now (/j); really hope you enjoy it bc i, personally and biased-ly, think it's really cool. </p><p>there's a <a href="https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLf8mOp1hylbMDzmCDhWv3Qto-VYHCemoa">playlist!</a> made it meself, atm is short and sweet. </p><p>cw: implied sexual content and a somber, self-deprecating tone.</p><p>hope you guys ✨ vibe ✨.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Luke Patterson was fire.</p><p>Burning with boundless passion, always ready for the next move, all warmed up and ready to go.</p><p> </p><p>He was temperamental like fire too.</p><p>The smallest of shifts in the wind would make him pouty or overly excitable or, God forbid, a condensed mass of anger.</p><p>But, to Reggie, Luke was <em>most</em> like fire right after a successful gig; while applause still thrummed within his ribcage, while song still ran through his veins with full force, with his spotlight smile the brightest it could be, and seeming to fucking vibrate with all the excitement of doing what he loved most.</p><p>A fevered sort of madness that Reggie couldn’t help but absorb.</p><p>It was nice, Reggie thought, he always ran a little cold.</p><p>He thought to himself, under the veil of the night sky, that it was his emptiness that prevented him from being warm like Luke, cause if there was nothing within him to burn how could he ever expect to be set alight? <em>Ex nihilo nihil fit</em>.</p><p>People had taken so much from him, there was no wood left to build a bonfire with.</p><p>He’d thought the hollow space in his chest was no place for happiness to ever inhabit.</p><p>He’d thought the damp cold of his constant numbness wouldn’t let any fire burn.</p><p>He’d let these beliefs settle heavily inside him, make their home deep within his ribs, slowly poisoning him and leaving him unable to trust anything <em>but</em> them; a brainwashing parasite. If there was no possible way that he would ever be worthy of warmth, much less his own, he would settle for borrowing from others.</p><p> </p><p>Luke didn’t seem to share his concern; he’d made that much obvious every single night they’d spent together, hidden from the world by the wooden doors of the garage, shielded by the silence.</p><p>“You’re fucking precious,” he’d whispered into the inches between their faces, one of his hands working through the tangles of his hair.</p><p>“Nah,” Reggie had giggled, not yet used to being on the receiving end of Luke’s punk-poetic streak‒ those times wherein he felt like if he didn’t immediately share his thoughts, they’d consume him.</p><p>He huffed, “Didn’t ask, dork,” a kiss pressed to the tip of his nose.</p><p>There was no fighting the Patterson boy when he made up his mind and Reggie wished he could burn like him, with certainty and decisiveness.</p><p>Luke was made of fire on purpose. He wrote and composed and sung and whispered praise into the night to make himself and everything around him shine bright, bright, bright. And he was damn good at that too. He was full of lightning and <em>had</em> to strike somewhere, lest he imploded.</p><p>The only times Reggie felt like he was more than hollowness were those in which Luke strung words together in a pretty compliment specifically for him, said them with unwavering conviction, as if he individually held all the knowledge in the world, all the truth and certainty, the fucking Delphi Oracle incarnate; and, the thing is, when someone tells you that you’re unbelievably amazing with no hesitation it’s hard to deny it.</p><p>More than fire, Luke was the brightest fucking star whose gravitational pull aligned everything around him, helping Reggie make sense of the chaos with his small cosmos.</p>
<hr/><p>Reggie sometimes burned too.</p><p>Not for long and usually not by himself.</p><p>Rather, Reggie sometimes caught the tail end of Luke’s sudden combustions and did nothing to dampen the flames.</p><p>He let the Patterson boy ignite him; hold his hand and kiss his nose and bite his lip and caress his hair and hold his body because he loved and <em>needed</em> it. He knew it was wrong, relying on someone else to keep you warm, and he tried to be self-sufficient, he did, but it wasn’t easy. At times he could feel the frostbite consume him from the inside out, his spine turning to ice one vertebrae at a time and suddenly he would be stuck in place, always in an uncomfortable position from which his limbs wouldn’t‒ couldn’t move.</p><p>He hated those times.</p><p>They weren’t common, but they’d happened enough times that now the slightest drop in his mood made him shiver with preemptive panic. So, he turned to Luke, who on more than one occasion said that <em>yes, he wanted to be there for him</em>.</p><p>It was nice, not having to go through his stupid perennial winter alone.</p>
<hr/><p>Luke could burn a little too hot sometimes, the kind of fever you can’t sweat.</p><p>That’s when Reggie stepped in. He could take all the heat and remain unbothered.</p><p>Luke would vent for hours about how this or that pissed him off and he could gush for even longer about whatever new favorite thing he’d found.</p><p>And then there was the <em>heat</em> heat.</p><p>The kind they’d often -but not often enough- exchanged hidden away in the loft, veiled all around by darkness, spelling out nonsense in each other’s skin with trails of fire and the lines raked by their fingernails, chanting each other’s names in the rawest form of music, their panting an enviable harmony. Hands, lips, and teeth wandering around bodies, staking their silent claim in the faint marks that would fade long before their intent did; kisses hidden away beneath collarbones, between shoulder-blades, and on the hills of cheekbones.</p><p>Sometimes Reggie felt like he was coated in gasoline and just waited achingly for Luke to ignite him with the clash of their hips or the trail of his fingers down his neck or whatever, something, anything. It didn't matter what as long as it was him.</p><p>It was always going to be him.</p><p>It had to be.</p>
<hr/><p>Reggie was guilty of tunnel vision sometimes, focusing hardly and uniquely on one thing and nothing else until something snapped him out of his trance– but with Luke it was different. No matter what he did, Reggie couldn't push him to the back of his mind. It felt a little like insanity whenever his mind fixated on him so intensely.</p><p>Luke. Luke. Luke.</p><p>Luke's hands on his waist. Luke's lips on his collarbone. Luke's voice crashing against his mouth. Luke's pretty eyes staring at him when he was all red in the face. Luke's <em>heat</em> all around him, saving him from his own winter.</p><p> </p><p>Reggie's tunnel vision only grew worse when it was encouraged and Luke "Centerpiece Complex" Patterson just <em>couldn't</em> not be super fucking into it. Being worshiped by Reggie was the best thing to him in an irredeemably selfish way.</p><p>Luke, to his credit, was quite aware of his selfish tendencies and did his best to reciprocate, not let himself just enjoy but make it enjoyable for Reggie too. So, he'd run his hands feather light over his skin and watch him blush and flush prettily under his touch, he'd kiss and bite his lips and neck and chest, he'd let him know in no uncertain terms that he was the most perfect living thing in the world, he'd let him dig and drag his nails across his back and biceps, let him moan his name into his lips like a prayer, like a song, like a plea; Luke would let him steal every bit of oxygen from his lungs if it meant seeing Reggie smile.</p><p>Plus, with Reggie it wasn't hard to give, to let himself be taken.</p><p>Luke trusted Reggie with his everything. With the secrets not even Alex or Bobby knew about, with fresh lyrics and crooked melodies, with his body and his breath and the beats of his heart, with his music. Luke woke up every day and decided to trust Reggie and not once had he regretted it.</p>
<hr/><p>"You're amazing, Luke. Seriously. You– you're all encompassing. You make everything make sense and I feel like shit sometimes for, like, hogging you, y'know?" The dam had broke and now there was no stopping the onslaught of praise and all the thoughts he'd so carefully hidden away for so long out of fear that this, the way he saw Luke and what he meant to him, would somehow fracture the frail reality they'd crafted for themselves. As if Luke would look at him, vulnerable and open like the bleeding wound he so often felt like, and decide he was too much.</p><p>Still, he continued, "I'm- I'm in love with you. Honestly. Stupidly. Selfishly. I want to keep you for myself because you're so fucking wonderful and I know‒ I <em>know</em>, everyone deserves to see that but I can't help it. I can't help myself when I'm around you, holy <em>shit</em>, what am I supposed to do? When this ends? When you realize there's so many people out there who can give you everything I can't and more and who aren't afraid that you'll find all the great things you've got to find and- and step away from them? What am I supposed to do without you? I'll freeze".</p><p>"Reg-," Luke extended his arms towards him to no avail, Reggie lifted his hands in front of himself.</p><p>"No, I mean it. You're my home. My <em>everything</em>. And it's awful of me to just... Latch onto you like a leech and just take, take, take and never give back as much as I receive".</p><p>"Reg, really-," his hands came to rest at Reggie’s biceps, coaxing him forward softly.</p><p>"I'm sorry," he gave in, sinking into his chest.</p><p>Reggie was crying. This was bad.</p><p>It wasn't the first time Luke had seen him cry, of course. You stick around someone for long enough and there's hardly anything to discover, but this was different. This felt like <em>his</em> fault.</p><p>Luke carded away at his hair with one hand, drawing circles on the small of his back with his other. Reggie cried even harder.</p><p>This wasn't meant to be like this, it wasn't meant to happen <em>at all.</em> He hadn’t meant to have a breakdown and just dump all of his feelings on Luke like this, but the last thing it was meant to be was a goodbye. The hug felt like goodbye. People don't just hug others ferociously unless they had reason to believe they wouldn't be able to do it again. Reggie had half a mind to worry about Luke noticing the jackrabbiting of his heart clashing against his own torso.</p><p>"Reg, ok, calm down. C'mon, breathe with me".</p><p>After a while Luke pulled them apart, as softly as he could with Reggie's death grip on his sweater, and led them to the couch.</p><p>"Baby, why do you think I'll leave? Actually, don't answer that.</p><p>“I won't leave. I don't want to. I know you sometimes feel like you're somehow less-than and like you don't deserve good things, I know; but it's stupid, and it's not your fault believing that and you're definitely not stupid. Baby, I'm sorry I ever let you think those things. About yourself. About me. About <em>us</em>. All I do is try to make you feel the way you make me feel, make you as happy as you make me- Reg, you're nothing less than the fucking Sun.</p><p>“It's like- like lightning runs through your veins. You’re an- unstoppable force of nature and you're always so fucking ready to make everyone around you have the best possible time no matter what and I admire that.<br/>
<br/>
"Reg, you're like the sky. I- I look at you and I feel so small," he chuckled, "you're so much more than I could ever even <em>dream</em> about and it fucking sucks that I haven't made that clear," he cupped Reggie's face with his hands, "I love you. I <em>adore</em> you. You're like sunrises at the beach and the feeling of being on stage, you make me feel alive. You make me feel like there's a purpose behind it all. Jesus fucking Christ, Reggie, baby, I'm sorry".</p><p>Reggie’s brain was working on overdrive, trying to bring himself down from the panic and process the full love confession and come up with a response and making sure he didn’t stop breathing.</p><p>He sniffled lightly and met Luke’s eyes, "Why?"</p><p>"Why what?" His brows furrowed in confusion.</p><p>"Why... love me?"</p><p>Luke rolled his eyes fondly and pushed him back into his chest, "Ok, now you're being difficult. I love you because you left me no choice,” Reggie made a noise of disagreement that died quickly in the valleys of Luke’s shirt, “What? You think I could resist your pretty face and your pretty smile and your amazing voice and your music skills? You think I had a chance? No way".</p><p> </p><p>Reggie felt lucky and warm and loved.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>so!! did you vibe?<br/>tell me all about it, here or on <a href="https://valiantnerdtm.tumblr.com">Tumblr</a>. </p><p>have a nice day/night/life, babes ♥.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Motivation | Julie</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Luke introduces Julie to her local punk scene.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hope y'all are vibing, as always, and that your NYE was fun and sexy (and safe) my lovelies.<br/>i present to you: the second installment of this nonsense! hope you find it enjoyable.<br/>CW: a lot of cursing + a small moment of anger (that is resolved quickly, i promise).</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Luke Patterson was annoying.</p><p>“Motivated” in his own words.</p><p>But Julie Molina wasn’t particularly fond of his <em>unique</em> brand of motivation anyway so, to her, it was annoying.</p><p>More than any of that, Luke Patterson was a troublemaker who seemed strongly convinced that absolutely everyone should follow his teachings of anti-authoritarianism, which in itself wasn’t a bad premise and, honestly, Julie would’ve followed along if it weren’t for the fact that her dad was the furthest thing from a dictator possible.</p><p>Luke knew this, of course, he’d seen Ray’s parenting methods first hand and heard many stories about his unending kindness and openness to having his children do almost whatever they wanted, but he still asked Julie to sneak out or otherwise break a rule -or ten-, always bringing up “the spirit of punk” or whatever else. And while all that was bad enough, it was made worse by the fact that Julie Molina did <em>not</em> back down and she would <em>not</em> let anyone call her a coward.</p><p>So, against her better instincts, she went along with him whenever she thought she could get away with it or whenever Luke was too pushy and called her anything from “chicken” to “spineless”; because, clearly, Luke no longer had a fear of death nor a healthy fear of Molina Wrath coming his way.</p><p>That, Luke’s contagious recklessness and Julie’s firecracker disposition, was the recipe for disaster that led her exactly: here. At some indie-music-bar-restaurant-thing that she had to sneak into through a bathroom window (“they should know better than to put fucking dumpsters right below windows, seriously, it’s like they want people to sneak in,” was Luke’s insight).</p><p> </p><p>It wasn’t bad<em>, </em>the reddish-brown tinted lights made it kinda cozy and it was crowded but not loud, making her think that, maybe, in another context she would've enjoyed herslef.</p><p>She’d taken a seat at the first unoccupied table she’d found and glared pointedly at the very reason she was in a bar at 10pm on a Wednesday night.</p><p>“I hate you right now, I hope you know that,” she’d said, tone deadpan.</p><p>“Yeah, sure. Just you wait, Molina, tomorrow you’ll love me so hard, it’ll hurt,” he leaned in as he spoke, his tone halfway between a threat and a really bad joke.</p><p>The spotlight that was permanently set onto the small stage at the back wall stole everyone’s attention and a girl, probably in her 20s, wearing the coolest patch-covered light-wash distressed denim jacket Julie’d ever seen, and a microphone in hand. She greeted everyone and was met with loud cheers, then went on to explain their open mic dynamic which Julie mostly missed in favor of trying to find Luke, who was poofing around the bar like a superpowered hyperactive child (which, in Julie’s opinion, wasn’t far from the truth).</p><p>“Let’s give a warm welcome to Acrid Rose!”</p><p>“What’s up, Noisemaker! We’re Acrid Rose and this is Infinite Sky,” the lead vocalist, a tiny blonde girl wearing a leather skirt and a lacy bralette that peaked through her oversized denim jacket, introduced them.</p><p>No sooner than she finished the introduction and grabbed her sticker-covered electric guitar did the bass riff that finally captivated Julie’s attention start. The bassist, a tall girl with a messy head of curls distinctly styled in a mullet who was wearing a cropped shirt and high waisted pants, was fucking masterful to say the least. After two four counts the lead vocalist came in and Julie was so entranced by her voice, all rough and sonorous, that she barely registered Luke poofing in next to her, her focus now solely on the way she was working the electric guitar in her hands, a feat Julie was envious of in stupid levels because even though she, too, could play and sing, there was <em>something</em> about her stage presence that inspired pure awe. Finally, the drummer, a girl with a green-dyed buzzcut wearing a shirt with cutoff sleeves, kicked the song into absolute high-gear, bashing the kit with a powerful precision Julie had never seen live before. Sure, Alex was great, but this was <em>way</em> out of their alley. Julie and The Phantoms were a pop band and <em>this</em> was so far from pop Julie didn’t even know what to call it.</p><p>“They’re awesome, right?” Luke had to raise his voice even when speaking directly into her ear.</p><p>“Yes!” was all Julie could manage in her starstruck state.</p><p>They finished the song without a hitch, all three of the members effortlessly performing and constantly interacting with the crowd that was eating up their act with gusto, the final note of the song, a long-held squeal in the electric, resonated in the bar for a second before it was replaced with wild cheering. The members took a bow and quickly vacated the stage, all smiling widely and throwing their arms over each other until they became an amorphous mass that disappeared amongst the bar patrons.</p><p>“I told you you’d love me so much it’d hurt,” Luke said.</p><p>“Oh, no. I loved <em>them</em>, jury's still out on you, Patterson”.</p><p>“Ok, yeah, and who brought you here? Me. So: you love me, there’s no way around it, jellybean,” Luke poked her cheek playfully and Julie swatted his hand away.</p><p>“Jellybean? Actually, no. We won’t talk about that. I wanna talk about them, what <em>was</em> that? Enlighten me, O! Master of Music!”.</p><p>“You laying that sarcasm thick there, ‘s making me think you don’t actually want to be schooled, Molina,” Luke waved a finger disapprovingly and poked at her ribs.</p><p>“Patterson, I swear if you don’t start talking and stop poking, I’ll kill you again,” she swatted his hand again and pointed the trademarked Molina-accusatory-finger at him with a raised eyebrow— it was far more effective than the wishy-washy thing he'd tried.</p><p>“Jeez, alright, <em>Ray</em>. Gimme your Qs and I’ll give you some As,” Luke said as he reclined back into the chair, Julie ignored the mocking tone.</p><p>“I know that wasn’t rock, because my dad loves rock; and it wasn’t pop, because <em>we</em> do pop; and it wasn’t R&amp;B or anything I know of…”.</p><p>“Funny you should ask," he leaned forward on the table, settling down on his forearms, "I’ve been coming here for like a month now and they perform kinda often, so I heard one of their conversations with some guy—”.</p><p>“You <em>eavesdropped</em> on them?”.</p><p>“—and they define their style as ‘riot grrrl revival’, but obviously you don’t know what that is—".</p><p>“Dude, you can’t just eavesdrop on people because you’re a ghost!”.</p><p>“—so, riot grrrl is a punk subculture, right? And punk is this rock-adjacent movement that started in, like, the 70s and also the best genre out there, I keep trying to tell you this—“.</p><p>“Lucas!”.</p><p>“Jules!” He mimicked her chastising tone, “d’you want the class or what?” Julie bit the inside of her cheek and made a mental note to piss him off later. Luke took in her expression and smirked slightly before moving on.</p><p>“Right, as I was saying: punk is angry and loud and messy and cocky—". </p><p>“So: you”.</p><p>“You’re on thin fucking ice, missy.” He tried his best stern glare but given that he was usually on the receiving end of those, and not dishing them out, it was rather lackluster, “But yeah. Sunset Curve was punk and I <em>am</em> punk, because punk’s the only way to go, man”.</p><p>Julie's brows furrowed, remembering something, “Wait, Reggie said you guys were <em>pop</em>-punk. Isn’t that, like, totally different?” She fought back a chuckle at the way Luke ran his hands aggressively all over his face and hair.</p><p>“Ok, next time you’ve got a question, raise your hand. I can’t keep losing my train of thought,” Julie immediately raised her hand and Luke’s annoyance was <em>delicious,</em> “What is it?”.</p><p>“Reggie said you guys were pop-punk, isn’t that totally different?”.</p><p>“I fucking swear—“.</p><p>She lifted her hands in front of herself defensively but the smile didn't leave her face, “Thank goodness you’re not an <em>actual</em> teacher. That’s no way to talk to a student”.</p><p>Luke took a deep breath.</p><p>“Jesus, fine. We were pop-punk but that’s only because Bobby said punk was dying out and pop-punk was going to be the next big thing, right? So we all agreed on giving it a try and it actually worked out really well for us, so that’s what we stuck with for a solid, what? Four years... Then we got the Orpheum and by then it was sort of ‘our style’ so, yeah”.</p><p>“Huh… Trevor may not be a great songwriter but he can really predict trends,” Julie gauged his reaction, breathing with relief once he chuckled.</p><p>“Yeah. Real smart guy. Maybe a little too smart for his own good”.</p><p>Their conversation continued, interrupted often by either their own bickering or a new performance, all of them in a style similar to that of Acrid Rose. By the third act Luke would offer information and commentary without Julie having to ask for it and it would’ve been impossible <em>not</em> getting into it all with the comments, they helped Julie make sense of things and, on occasion, notice things that would’ve otherwise slipped by her untrained eye. Sure, she had years of musical theory backing her up but she’d quickly realized the punk scene defied all that.</p><p>
  <em>These guys are trying too hard to bring 90s grunge back.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>That’s a lot like what the Buzzcocks were doing back in the day.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>This is like a boring version of Sunset Curve. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Holy shit! Did you catch that riff?</em>
</p><p>It was… Refreshing. Seeing Luke Patterson in his element. See, there weren’t very many things Luke and Julie had in common, what with a two-decade-long gap between them, but music was their perfect middle ground. And even though they’d talked about music before, it’d never been like this. The many hours they’d spent writing and composing together were less about music as an object of knowledge and more about <em>creating</em> more music. With both of them on about the same level when it came to musical theory and all that borderline stuffy shit, they’d never sat down and had a conversation like this.</p><p>It really put Luke in a whole new light. <em>This</em> was his sweet spot, the thing he’d dedicated his life, and now afterlife, to. He was so passionate and clearly invested in it that Julie couldn’t help but bask in his energy.</p><p>And bask in it she did. Maybe for a little too long, only realizing that over an hour had passed when the same denim-clad girl took to the microphone and, before introducing the next band, mentioned that (as per open mic tradition, apparently) there’d be an open bar until midnight, to really grease the wheels.</p><p>“Shit! Shit, shit, shit, shit,” Julie whispered, grabbing her bag from where it laid in the seat to her right.</p><p>“Whoah, watch it Ms. Pottymouth!” Luke said, but Julie was too busy jumping out from her seat and running off to the same bathroom she’d entered from. “Hey! Where’re you going?”.</p><p>“Home! Dude, I have school in the morning!” She stage-whispered, trying to not attract the attention of the patrons loitering around.</p><p>“Ugh. You lifers and your fucking responsibilities,” he complained but stood up nonetheless, trailing after her.</p><p>“Sorry I’m not dead and have things to do, bro,” Julie snapped once the door closed behind her, not giving herself time to regret her tone.</p><p>“First of all: ouch. Second: it’s eleven, it’s not even <em>that</em> late”. Julie turned to look at him right as she was about to open the window.</p><p>“It’s a Wednesday, Lucas. Wednesday! I have Chem first thing in the morning, I can’t fall asleep in the lab just because there’s cool bands here. Now help me open this!”.</p><p>Luke crossed and uncrossed his arms, huffing a complaint under his breath.</p><p>“Fine. But you better apologize for that dead comment later, Molina. Real low blow”.</p><p>Between the two of them they made quick work of the window and Luke poofed outside to help her out. Julie pointedly ignored him once she climbed down from the dumpster as she called for an Uber.</p><p> </p><p>“I knew this was a bad idea,” she said from where she was sitting on the curb, mostly to herself.</p><p>“Thought you had fun,” she didn’t even have to look at him to know he was pouty, but she did anyways.</p><p>Turning slightly she glanced at Luke, who was reclined cooly against the wall, hands in his pockets and kicking lightly at the ground, brows furrowed and eyes fixated purposefully on anything <em>but</em> her. It made her stomach sink with guilt.</p><p>“I did… We just planned it all wrong,” she ran a hand through her hair, pushing it out of her face, “Well, there wasn’t planning so much as you daring me—" Luke smiled slightly at that, “—and me going all 'Molina Madness' and saying yes”.</p><p>“Nah. I should’ve known better than to take you out on a school night,” he shrugged away from the wall and room a seat next to her, playing with his rings and bracelets, still not looking at her.</p><p>“Damn right,” she shoved him playfully, “but it’s not all your fault, it’s what I mean”.</p><p>He finally met her eyes, looking like a kicked puppy, all sheepish like, mouth halfway between a pout and a smile. Julie took notice of him— actually <em>looked</em> at him for a second.</p><p>His hair looked blonde with the streetlights shining behind him and it was hard making out the green of his eyes under the moonlight, but she already had it committed to memory, so she focused instead on the creases around his smile and the way he scrunched up his nose when he started to feel uneasy under her sight.</p><p>“I’m sorry”.</p><p>And to his credit, he looked like he meant it.</p><p>Funny thing about Luke Patterson: no matter how impulsive and objectively stupid he could be sometimes, he was good at ceding when it was necessary. His apologies, no matter how simple or elaborate —like that harmonizing plot back when he and the other two dorks had ditched her at the dance— were sincere.</p><p>His hand came to rest at her knee, thumb rubbing soothingly at the fabric of her pants. It was a weird sensation, the weight was there but the warmth was missing; Julie’s heart clenched a little at the thought.</p><p>“It’s cool. Just don’t do it again,” it was less of an admonishment and more of a gentle reminder as she placed her hand above his, lazily intertwining their fingers.</p><p>He smiled at her, widely this time, and whatever warmth <em>he</em> was lacking, he made up by setting her insides on fire.</p><p> </p><p>Under her comforter and with Luke sitting on the edge of her bed as he played absentmindedly with her hair and her own hands busying themselves with some frayed edges on his sweater, she had an admission to make.</p><p>“Hey,” she said, barely above a whisper. Luke’s attention diverted from the curls he was braiding (poorly) towards her face, he smoothed out one of her brows with his thumbs.</p><p>“Hey,” he matched her tone, his hand making its way to her cheek and resting there, his thumb rubbing at the high of her cheekbone.</p><p>Her eyes fluttered close, “Thanks for tonight”.</p><p>“Of course,” his hand continued to travel to the back of her neck, “can’t have you going through life without a little punk”.</p><p>She giggled and hated to admit, she felt pretty damn motivated— ideas for lyrics and instrumental arrangements cluttering her sleep-addled mind, pushed to the side only by the faint electricity that coursed through her system as Luke continued to draw constellations on her skin.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>as per usual: yell at me about this here or on <a href="https://valiantnerdtm.tumblr.com">Tumblr</a> if that's your scene.<br/>stay safe, stay sexy and stay around for a bit for the third piece of the trifecta!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Freedom | Alex</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Luke takes Alex out for a nice night running away from the cops. Silly but heartfelt conversations ensue.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Ok, ok, I'm sorry this one took over a month to dish out. 🥺<br/>The file for the first draft got corrupted somehow so I had to start fresh + I <em>was</em> working on other projects.<br/>Still, it's here now and I hope it's all you've ever wanted; if not, I hope you still enjoy it. 💖<br/>Singular content warning for these two being potty mouths.<br/>!!!! This one's for Em, if you're reading this: hi Em! Hope you're vibing, sweets. Sorry this one took me a hot second, I hope it's worth the wait. 😚💞<br/>So, as the italians would say: let's-a go! ✌🏽😌</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Luke Patterson was freedom.</p><p>Alex always felt trapped.</p><p>His clothes were all ill-fitting because his mother insisted on shopping for the son she clearly wished for and not the one she actually had, so he was stuck looking like an absolute fucking nerd in his perpetual arrangement of Sunday-bests. His skin was tight and itchy around his muscles since a growth spurt he’d yet to get used to that made him tall and lanky; he felt like a lighthouse, except the last thing he wanted was to draw attention to himself. His entire <em>life</em> felt like a poorly cast play where he had a role nobody else wanted, especially him— because it was a shit role, of course.</p><p>He found some reprieve from the semi-permanent façade with the band.</p><p>The guys kept gifting him clothes that were more Alex and less The Mercer’s Son (Bobby got him a pink hoodie that quickly became his Favorite Thing Ever; Reggie pitched in with a rainbow bracelet that was basically glued to his wrist now; Luke had given him a fanny pack— “that messenger bag Mrs. Mercer got you makes you look like a prep,” he’d said). They made it a running gag that he was now taller than the three of them to the point where he’d become desensitized to the whole thing. They made sure that when they performed it was <em>fun, </em>Bobby himself on more than one occasion nagged him for getting lost in his perfectionism, underlining that he was supposed to enjoy the whole Being A Rockstar Thing.</p><p>Luke was the most ardent “do whatever <em>you</em> want” supporter though. He’d masterminded nine out of every ten late-night sneak outs that led them to clubs they shouldn’t’ve been in, convinced him to pierce his ears, and calmed him from every anxiety attack he himself brought on with his bonkers ideas, as Reggie called them.</p><p> </p><p>In hindsight, <em>this</em> was probably one of those absolutely bonkers ideas and, really, Alex blamed himself for not stopping it earlier.</p><p>They were running. Wet pavement beating like a tachycardic heart under their frantic steps, November wind biting at their faces and ruffling their hair, police sirens blaring just a couple blocks away, obscured by their labored breathing.</p><p>This wasn’t their first police chase, funnily enough; no, they popped their Cop Cherrie when they had their first real gig down at The Noisemaker. They hadn’t even done anything, really, but a fight broke out while they were waiting for Reggie and Bobby to bring the van around when the red and blue lights shone all around them so, due to some weird but godsent Punk Kid instinct, they started running— they weren’t even being chased. Bobby tried to let them know as much in between fits of giggles when they came back to the bar minutes later, out of breath and scared out of their minds.</p><p>They weren’t exactly guiltless this time, though.</p><p>See, Alex had been having a rough week and he wanted to kick back and relax. His definition of relaxation entailed sitting in the garage with his boys, eating junk food, and making fun, alongside Bobby, of Luke and Reggie when they disappeared to the loft to make out.</p><p>Luke had some <em>very </em>different plans.</p><p>As soon as Alex walked into the garage and found Luke already waiting for him with That Smile, he knew his fate was sealed. It was the smile that he wore whenever he was about to make life very difficult for everyone around him. The “Memory Making” Smile, Reggie called it— because he was grossly in love with him. Bobby’s moniker for it, the “Get Bail Money” Smile, was closer to reality.</p><p>Alex thought it was a “Red Tape” Smile because it was a clear sign you needed to step the fuck away from it as soon as you saw it.</p><p>Luke knew this, of course, so he’d concocted this little ambush so Alex had no choice but to hear him out. Sadly, for Alex, Luke <em>was</em> very persuasive; it really was no wonder he’d talked all three of them into doing some very stupid, very illegal shit. To his credit, though, he was also quick on his feet and always got them out of whatever mess he got them into, leaving barely any room for arguing when he flashed The Smile and the cycle started again.</p><p>Be as it may: Alex was standing face to face with a Luke who seemed determined to bring him along for some mayhem that night.</p><p>“No,” Alex said as soon as the door closed behind him.</p><p>Luke appeared offended as he raised his hands in disbelief, waving them around himself, “Fuck you! I haven’t even said anything.”</p><p>“Don’t have to, I can read your face,” Alex shoved his hands in his jacket pockets, steeling himself for what was sure to come.</p><p>“Alright,” Luke had his cocky face on, Alex knew then he was not winning this fight, “What does it say then?”</p><p>“It says you have a stupid plan that’ll get us in jail.”</p><p>Luke scoffed, “Wrong, I have a great plan that <em>won’t</em> get us in jail— If you’re quick enough.”</p><p>Alex snorts a laugh, “So, exactly what I said except you’re dumb and reckless so you don’t see it yet. Cool.”</p><p>Luke walked casually towards him, grabbing his arms, “C’mon, man. We haven’t hung out in forever!”</p><p>He rolls his eyes, Luke wasn’t below manipulation but Alex was well versed in this tactic of his, “We hung out at school, like, four hours ago.”</p><p>“Y’know what I meant, Lex,”</p><p>It was unfair. Fighting against Luke Patterson was always unfair because whenever he felt as though he lost the upper hand, he brought out the pout; it always worked.</p><p>Alex tried to look away, he really did, but Luke was quicker as he sandwiched his face with his hands and <em>forced him</em> to stare at him and his stupid pout which was totally cheating; but there was nothing to be done about that now because he couldn’t stop his own mouth from agreeing.</p><p>He’d effectively condemned himself to a night of poorly orchestrated mischief.</p><p>All because of a pout.</p>
<hr/><p>He was right.</p><p>Luke’s plan was very simple in fact: have a fun night in the preppy high school’s pool.</p><p>Still, the simplest plans were always the quickest to go sideways and this, Alex thought, was a great example.</p><p>They <em>did</em> make it to the pool but just as they were starting to lose their clothes to jump into it, they heard police sirens in the distance. So, they did the smart thing and didn’t wait to see if the cop cars were there for them, got dressed again, and bolted right out. It was a good thing that they didn’t wait for the police to get there because, as they quickly learned, they <em>were</em> on the hunt for them and had no trouble following them in their cruiser; or they wouldn’t have if it wasn’t for the fact that Luke and Alex had more than enough experience in car-and-foot chases; so they sneaked under fences, away from main streets and didn’t stop running until the sirens were a thing of the past.</p><p>They’d ended up in a cul-de-sac, street deserted likely due to how far past midnight it was, both doubled over trying to catch their breath when Luke started laughing <em>hysterically.</em></p><p>Alex rolled his eyes; he wasn’t equipped to deal with both their mental breakdowns.</p><p>Luke dropped to the ground splayed, careless or carefree— Alex had yet to make up his mind about that.</p><p>“C’mere,” Luke said from where he lay on the road, making grabby hands at him.</p><p>“’m gonna get dirty,” he said, straightening up, “get up, you fucking miscreant.”</p><p>“Don’t be a dick, Lex. C’mere, I wanna cuddle.”</p><p>Alex scoffed loudly, “I’ll cuddle you at the garage when you’re not laying on a dirty road, c’mon, move.” He kicked lightly at Luke’s hip— that was mistake number one. Luke grabbed his calf and wrestled him until he was on the ground, bruising him in the process.</p><p>Mistake number two was not being quick enough to stop Luke from climbing over him like an overgrown puppy because, much like with an overgrown puppy, now he didn’t want to move and risk disturbing him where he was rubbing his cheek against Alex’s jacket obnoxiously.</p><p>“You’re comfy,” he mumbled, sounding far too sleepy for the adrenaline that should’ve been coursing through his body.</p><p>“You’re not. Get off,” his hands went to Luke’s waist, half-heartedly trying to push him off but Luke had made up his mind on staying where he was, gripping at Alex’s shoulder and bicep with each of his hands.</p><p>“Don’t wanna,” he whines.</p><p>Alex, for the second time that night, realized there was no point playing unstoppable force to Luke’s unmovable will, so he settled for wrapping his arms around the Patterson’s boy’s waist and staring at the night sky, trying to catalog the few stars he could see above them.</p><p>More time than anyone should spend lying on the pavement passed before Luke talked again, sounding too happy with himself.</p><p>“See? ‘s easier if you don’t fight it, Lex.”</p><p>“Oh, fuck you,” he pinches Luke’s side and gets a squeal and some frantic movement still on top of him in return.</p><p>“Shh, I’m about to impart some wisdom, okay? Need you to be quiet for a second.”</p><p>“You—” His hand clumsily covered Alex’s mouth, who recoiled at that.</p><p>“I said shush. I know that you don’t like the idea that I know something you don’t but you gotta listen to me, man,” Alex bit Luke’s palm, earning himself a smack to the chest, “You’re all, like, quiet and high-strung especially when you’re clearly freaking out, and that’s cool I won’t tell you to go around breaking shit, but every once in a while you gotta let loose, bro.”</p><p>It was unfairly smart.</p><p>So often did he feel like he was being consumed by so many different things – anxiety, self-doubt, self-<em>hatred</em> – that it was paralyzing. He didn’t know what to do but sit and let it all eat at him from the inside out until something else showed up and he could shift his focus, but it always came back. The feelings lived inside him and lurked until there was a lull in his life, attacking with full force again. It was tiring, having to keep his guard up against himself. Sure, he could relax and soothe the itchiness that came with Being Alex sometimes but it was a temporary fix.</p><p>Luke’s deviant devising didn’t do away with his problems either, but the calm lasted longer and their outings <em>did</em> make for some pretty good stories.</p><p>Not that he’d admit that to Luke. The guy was already too cocky for his own good.</p><p>Alex was snapped out of his thoughts by Luke’s voice, muffled against his hoodie. “’m just tryin’ to help you out here, man.”</p><p>Alex sighs, “I know, Luke… Thanks.”</p><p>Luke nods softly, humming a response and not much more, letting them wallow in the quiet night for a little longer.</p><p>Alex feels Luke smile against his chest and immediately regrets ever getting soft around him, he’s always too quick to come up with dumb shit that ruins whatever moment they could’ve been having. “Y’know what else would help?”</p><p>Alex sighs again, exasperated this time, “What, Luke?”</p><p>He giggles, “Getting a tattoo.”</p><p>He doesn’t stop laughing even as Alex finally pushes him off of himself and sits up.</p><p>“And here I thought you’d be serious for once,” mock disappointment laces his tone.</p><p>Luke gasps, “I <em>am</em> serious!” Alex runs his hands through his hair because if he doesn’t occupy his hands, he may start a fight with his bandmate.</p><p>“Ok, how would a tattoo help with my anxiety? Or my folks?”</p><p>“It’s badass. Being badass always helps, even if you don’t know how, Lex.”</p><p>“Fuckin’ weak logic,” he ruffles Luke’s hair as he stands up. Luke remains pouty on the pavement.</p><p>“No, really. I was thinking we could all get some matching Sunset Curve tats, could be cool,” Luke says crossing his arms over his chest, his voice is small and a little too charged with meaning for the subject and it makes Alex ponder on what the hidden message could be until it jumps at him, clear as day.</p><p>“We’re brothers, tattoos or not,” that makes him smile. Alex offers him a hand which he takes without argument, his balance once he stands up leaves a lot to be desired, he lands square on Alex’s chest, hugging him with ease. Alex continues as he returns the hug, “’Cept you and Reg. You guys are disgusting and Bobby and I are thinking about leaving and starting our own duo if you keep eating face in front of us.”</p><p>“Hating love? Really, Lex? That’s grumpy even for you.”</p><p>He pinches Luke’s side in retaliation. “Fuck you, I’m not grumpy, you’re just, like, an overexcited puppy all the time. Plus, Reg won’t tell you no and Bobby’ll let you crash and burn if he thinks it’d be funny; <em>someone</em> has to be level-headed.”</p><p>“Sure, dad,” Luke snorts.</p><p>“I’ll de-string your guitars, Patterson.”</p><p>“You don’t know how to do that, drummer boy.”</p><p>Alex scoffs, “Bobby can teach me.”</p><p>There’s a beat of silence before Luke says, “Can’t resist your charm, that one,” Alex pushes him off of him with a groan. “Remember how awkward he was when you came out?” Luke’s laughing, Alex just groans louder as he throws on the hood over his face, pulling on the elastics until he can’t see Luke cackling in front of him. “We all thought he hated you and then it turns out he has a thing for blonds? Plot twist of the fucking year, right?”</p><p>“He made like two comments about it and that was it! He’s not actually into me and you know it.”</p><p>“You keep saying that but who’s to say? Bobby’s always super secretive about his feelings and shit.”</p><p>“No, he just doesn’t tell you anything because you’re impossible.”</p><p>“Oh, so he talks to <em>you</em>? Look at that! Almost like he thinks you’re <em>special</em>,” Luke squeals and Alex hears a door being opened behind him— it’s worse than the sirens.</p><p>“Can you guys yell somewhere else?”</p><p>Alex shoves the hood off his face and turns to find a girl not much older than them wrapped in a blanket on her doorstep. “Yes, ma’am. Sorry, ma’am,” he says, on instinct, Luke laughs a little louder at his side.</p><p>“Go on then. Shoo,” the girl looks amused despite the tiredness as she waves a hand towards them, dismissive.</p><p>“Of course. Yes. Right. We’re going,” Alex grabs Luke by the hand and roughly pulls him until he’s half-matching his hurried pace, catching Luke with the side of his eye waving at the girl and yelling <em>sorry!</em> with a wide grin on his face, never one to be deterred by being caught.</p><p>The girl nods as she wraps the blanket tighter around her and spins around to walk inside.</p><p>“You’re a threat to public order,” Alex says, relaxing the grip on Luke’s hand.</p><p>“And you’re too uptight! You called her <em>ma’am</em>, Lex, she’s Katie’s age!”</p><p>“Keep my sister and my manners out of this, Patterson.”</p><p>“Still jealous she likes me better than you?”</p><p>“She does <em>not</em>.”</p><p>“She totally does.”</p><p>He lets go of Luke’s hand then but the Patterson boy is quick to join them again. “Ok, screw you, get her on the drums then.”</p><p>“Oh, c’mon Lex, don’t get mean,” Alex doesn’t have to look at him to see the pout on his face. “She doesn’t have your looks,” <em>that</em> makes him turn to face him, somewhere between offended and flattered.</p><p>“My <em>looks</em>?”</p><p>“Yeah! You ever seen yourself banging on those drums? Hot. Ask Bobby about it.”</p><p>Alex detaches from him again. “That’s it, I’m never talking to you again,” he picks up his pace, Luke’s footfalls as he runs to catch up to him resonate around them in the quiet of the night. He tries to keep the angry look but it’s hard to resist the smile growing on his face as Luke continues to talk about how<em> Lex, really, you need a boyfriend. You could bring him to rehearsals and he could, like, brag about his hot Rockstar arm candy. Whaddya think? Maybe a surfer—wait, no, if you’re both blond then it’d be like dating your brother or something. How about a biker? Wait! A skater! That’s it, they’re all hippies so he’d, like, cool you out when I’m not around! Sweet! We’ll hit up some skate parks tomorrow.</em></p><p>Luke finally does catch up to him and laces their fingers together again. They walk back to the garage and Luke continues with his self-congratulatory speech about his great ideas.</p><p>Alex doesn’t have it in him to go against him.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey, hi, glad you made it! 💕<br/>As always, you can hit me up to talk about this or see what I'm working on, while I'm working on it on <a href="https://valiantnerdtm.tumblr.com">Tumblr</a>!<br/>and if you vibe with sharing stuff, here's the <a href="https://valiantnerdtm.tumblr.com/post/643407338381901825/pattersons-trifecta-33-fandom-julie-and-the">post</a> for this fic on Tumblr! <br/>Thanks for coming along for this ride with me!<br/>Don't forget to stay safe, stay sexy, and stay alive. 🥰🌼</p></blockquote></div></div>
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